Just because you bought a bag of dog food from the veterinarian’s office claiming it is a higher quality than supermarket options does not make it nutritional. One look at the order of the ingredients list will show that the protein comes from grains, or grain by-products such as cornmeal, wheat, & brewers rice rather than from premium meat sources
There are hundreds of brands across the country in grocery stores that mostly contain poultry by-product. These leftovers consist of feet, beaks, undeveloped eggs, and intestines. Most formulas contain a couple of specialized ingredients to make them appear as a specialized health diet for limitless reasons. The truth is a healthy diet can help keep your dog healthy and happy for much longer, but it must consist of a proper protein source and appropriate nutrition supplementation.
When you’re looking for the best high quality food, look for ingredients like chicken meal or lamb meal to be listed before any grains are. Our family pets are designed by nature to eat protein from meat sources, so the high grain content many pet foods contain is one of the leading contributors to the growing obesity issues in pets. This being said, it isn’t recommended to completely remove grains from your animals diet.
Most people will tell you that “human food” is not good for your pets, while most holistically trained veterinarians encourage the practice of feeding fresh food to our pets. If you do feed them non formulated food, keep it to healthy items such as meat, steamed and finely chopped veggies & fruits, baked sweet potato, rice, oatmeal (and no junk food!) If you feed them this way, remember to lessen the portion of their own food so that they don’t put on extra pounds.
Remember, not all healthy foods for us are good for them. Onions, grapes and raisins can all be toxic to our cats and dogs. If you’re not positive it’s safe for them, don’t feed them it! And, don’t forget to supplement for things like hip and joint problems. The correct supplementation can add years to your pet’s life and life to your pet’s years.
